The Bard at the Bar, Man
by Musicalrain
Summary: There's a new face at the Hanged Man that makes quite an impression on our favorite broody elf. Fenris/OC. Mentions of unspecified gender Hawke/Anders. I have no rights to Dragon Age, I just have fun with it. Please Review!


The Bard at the Bar, Man

_Note: __So, __I've __got __a __bunch __of __one-shots __in __various __stages __of __completion. __Some __worthy __of __finishing __and __others __not __so __much. __Hopefully __this __one __is __not __one __of __the __latter. __This idea has been on hold for awhile, and now it's finally finished! __Please __R&R, __enjoy!_

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Fenris hadn't been at the Hanged Man in quite awhile. He owed Varric far more coin than he thought reasonable, and as a result, had been avoiding the tavern. He'd been supplementing his card games with Varric and Isabela with games with Donnic, but now that the Guard was busy on a multi-day investigation on the Wounded Coast, he was left with little to no entertainment. Especially since seemingly all of Hawke's time was now consumed with the abomination.

He put aside his discomfort, and made his way to the infamous tavern of Lowtown.

He really hadn't visited the tavern in quite awhile. He knew at this time of day, the tavern should only be filled with its sparse amount of regulars, but there were plenty of faces that the warrior did not recognize.

He made his way to sit at the small table beside the fireplace, which was currently occupied by Varric. The dwarf waved in greeting, but most of his attention seemed to be focused on the bard in the nearby corner. The bard was playing an angry, yet oddly transfixing tune on a violin. The bard was mostly concealed in a long shadow, but Fenris could tell that the bard was short and small – an elf most likely.

As the tune seemed to be nearing its end, one of the tavern's patrons, a regular drunk that Fenris did recognize, walked up to the elven bard's corner and made a move towards the hat on the floor that contained the bard's earnings.

Being consumed by the music, the bard was unable to stop the drunk from grabbing the earnings and attempting, as best a drunk could, to make off with the coin. The bard roughly halted the music, and took a wide step out of the shadows. Fenris, with some amount of curiosity, took in the female elf's appearance. Her skin was a light bronze color, which complemented nicely with her thin, wavy and long mahogany hair. Her eyes were dark and wild, with bright flecks of gold and red set in rich brown. Her attire was modest and simple. A careworn leather vest worn atop a long-sleeved cream tunic, which was clearly too long for her, and paired with a darker brown, tight, cloth leggings. Her boots were simple, ankle-high, grey, and woven. She quite clearly relied on her music for her living.

Oddly enough, she ran over to the table Fenris was sharing with the dwarf. "Varric," her voice was medium-pitched and husky with anger. "Watch this for me," she sat her violin and bow onto the wooden table in front of the storyteller, and went off after the drunk.

Fenris watched with amusement as the smaller elf slid into the drunk at an angle which swept his feet out from beneath him. She then tore the hat out of his hand, as she spat in his face. As she got up, she swept up her coins, and counted them. Varric bellowed a laugh, "You should've learned from last time Philbert!"

The elven bard snorted at the comment, placed her measly coins securely in her breastband, and put the old, worn hat atop her head. Isabela winked at the elf as she walked by her regular spot at the bar, "That won't stop everyone from going after your coppers, honey."

With barely hidden amusement, the elf replied, "You're the only one who would try Bela."

When the elf returned to the storyteller, she said, "Thanks Varric. Would you like to make the next request?"

Varric tapped his finger on his chin as he thought, "How about that sad little tune you hum to? You know, the one you played the other night."

"Oh, I know the one," she smiled, and Fenris was lost in the sincerity of it. "Hey, is there a way I can convince you to buy me a bowl of stew?"

Before Varric could reply, a shout came from the tavern's corner, "I'll buy ya a bowl 'er stew if ya play the next one on m'lap!"

"Alistair, you don't even have two coppers to rub together!" She shook her head, and with a look of obvious affection she grumbled, "If that blighted fool has to sleep on my floor _again_ because he lost all his coin, I'm gonna..." She sighed. She picked up her violin, and finally seemed to notice Fenris. "Oh. Hi there. Are you one of Varric's buddies?"

Fenris blinked at her with a charming scowl of confusion across his face. Varric answered for him, "Well, perhaps not one of my 'buddies' exactly, but this is Fenris. Fenris meet Coralie. One of the best bards to ever grace the Hanged Man."

She bowed theatrically and added, "You forgot nanny to Ferelden's fallen bastard prince. Which reminds me, have you heard back from his uncle yet?"

"No, sorry Jingles."

She scrunched her nose prettily, "Don't call me that," she hissed at Varric and trotted off back to her corner.

She returned her hat to the ground, and began playing a romantic melancholy song to which she hummed softly to. Fenris watched her with his keen green eyes. She was out of the shadow now, and he watched as her eyes fluttered closed, and eventually her body began to sway. She swayed softly from one side to the other as she made the slow, rolling notes flow like water over her audience. The song indeed sounded sad, like a sad broken heart. She seemed to prefer angry or sad songs, and he wondered why. He was broken out of his trance by a friendly pat on his shoulder, and a chuckle that belonged to none other than his dwarven companion.

"You like Jingles, don't you Broody?"

He huffed, sat farther back in his seat, and crossed his arms as Nora finally made her way over with a pint for him. He downed half of the swill in one gulp, "I fail to see how that is a concern of yours dwarf."

He shrugged, "I just think you'll disappoint Rivaini if you go after the bard. She's been plotting to get into your breeches ever since Hawke was taken off the market."

Fenris' brows furrowed together, and he resisted the urge to look at the pirate in mention. "Is that so," he drawled.

"Yep," Varric took a drink of his own ale. "She really wants to find out what color your smalls are."

He allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards for a mere second, but Varric caught it. "I do not know if I should be offended or not." He took a sip from his tankard.

"But you do have a thing for Jingles, right?" The elf scowled, and Varric chuckled again. "Your secret is safe with me Broody."

…...

Due to Fenris loosing even more coin than he anticipated, the next time he saw the elven bard was outside the Hanged Man during the Qunari uprising. There was a dead Sten at her feet, her violin's bow broken and sticking out of his neck, with blood pooling around his still body. She was gripping the broken neck of her violin, the rest was in pieces, and breathing heavily as they approached.

"Varric!" She panted.

"By the Stone, Jingles! You took out one of the bigs ones with your fiddle!" He barked a laugh.

"The bard?" Hawke asked curiously with one brow raised.

"Name's Coralie," her eyes flickered around to each member of their party. "It looks like you could use another bowman." She nodded towards Sebastian, who was clutching his right shoulder with pain etched onto his face. "Mind if I help?" She offered.

As Sebastian opened his mouth to protest, Varric spoke to him, "Just give up the bow, Choir Boy. We can't do anything about your shoulder until we find Blondie anyways."

"A violin's bow and a longbow aren't too different," she joked.

Sebastian made no moves to hand over his weapon, and only did so after Hawke's encouraging nod. Coralie strapped his quiver onto her back, and tested the pull of the longbow before saying, "The broken bowman can stay behind me. I'll keep an eye on him."

In the battle that took place right before the stair to the bridge into Hightown, Coralie saved Aveline and Fenris at least once each, and that's without taking into mention the rather defenseless Sebastian she was watching out for.

Fenris wouldn't soon forget the moment she saved him however. His broadsword had cleaved completely through the sternum of a Qunari warrior, and jammed into the broken stone pathway beneath. As he struggled to free his blade, an elven convert had snuck up behind him and aimed to pierce his spine. He heard the wet crunch of the elf's own spine being severed, and looked up in time to see Coralie launch another arrow into the elf's back for extra measure. She had smirked, a deliciously teasing smirk, and adjusted her aim and stance to assist Aveline.

After, not surprisingly, Hawke's hopes of Isabela returning were dashed away, and Fenris arranged a duel between Hawke and the Arishok to try and prevent any more needless slaughter, Coralie cornered Fenris on the stair as the duel went underway. "You really trust everyone's lives, an entire city's worth of lives, in your friend's hands?"

He nodded, "Hawke is strong, capable."

She shook her head, "I think I understand why you did it, but... I hope it works."

When the Arishok ran hard into Hawke's side, Coralie winced and swore, "Venhidis."

Fenris tore his eyes away from the duel, "Your accent, it's Ferelden. How do you know Arcanum?"

She looked at him briefly, smiled, and returned her gaze to the fight.

When the battle ended with Hawke the victor, Coralie put her hand gently on Fenris' elbow, "You're not the first escaped slave I've ever met." He scowled, and she pulled him along by his elbow, "Don't worry Varric didn't tell me. It's just that... Well, I can tell." She left Fenris' side and returned to Sebastian.

When the majority of the party arrived at Hawke's estate, Anders was nervously pacing near the door. When he saw Hawke, he ran up and hugged his love in a bruising embrace, "I used the cellar entrance. I was so worried!" When Hawke winced, Anders cursed and began healing. He healed the injured archer after, and Coralie returned Sebastian's bow and quiver.

Hawke ushered everyone into the library where the day's events were discussed, Varric was instructed to use his network to their advantage, and Anders decided it would be best to return to his clinic. Hawke volunteered to help him, as did Sebastian, and so soon after, Fenris and Coralie left the estate.

As soon as they left the doors, the bard cursed and threw her hands up. "I destroyed my violin! Somehow I'd forgotten all about that!" She covered her face with her hands, but when she heard Fenris' faint chuckle, she peeked at him from one eye and said, "Care to treat a lady to a drink? I could really, really use one."

He shrugged, "My mansion's not far from here."

Coralie whistled as they walked up to the outside of the mansion, "Nice place," and when they entered, she made a gagging sound and chocked out, "Is that a body? No, not nice place."

Fenris grinned, "The bodies were used by a bloodmage, and they won't decay from the blood magic."

"What?" She rubbed at her forehead, her brow creased in thought, "Oh, right. I think Varric mentioned something about this at one of his story-times... Do you have alcohol? Please tell me you do."

He nodded, "Wine."

She snorted and parroted, "Wine," and somehow managed to make it sound like an offense.

Fenris made a questioning face, "If you do not want -"

He was cut off, "No, no. Wine's fine. Perfect... I'm just pissed about the violin." She sighed.

He decided to distract her as she followed him to his cellar, "You haven't really explained how you've come to know Arcanum."

"Right." She smacked her lips together before she spoke next, "My mother worked at the Pearl when I was a girl." He gazed at her from the corner of his eye, and she clarified, "It's a whorehouse," she said bluntly. Fenris' steps faltered for a moment, before he quickly regained his composure. He wasn't expecting that. "She was prized for her sultry voice and skilled fingers... on her instruments. Violin mostly. She was known as the Busty Bard." The elven woman rolled her eyes, "Original, right? She stopped working when she met this one guy, Alcander. He's pretty much my father in everything but blood. I was ten when he started teaching me archery. Eventually he taught me his language too."

Fenris was quiet as he retrieved a bottle of wine, and he tilted his head as the elven woman pulled a bottle off the rack herself. She gestured with the bottle and smirked rougishly, "A bottle for each of us."

As the two headed to the room Fenris used as his main living quarters, he asked, "He was an escaped slave?"

She nodded, "Oh yeah. Big time. Had the scars and everything, and I'm not just talking physical. He was a sentry for his master. Sometimes used for hunts... and not animals."

Fenris furrowed his brow as he took a seat on a bench, and she sat in a chair. As she worked at opening the wine bottle in her hands, he asked, "How did he escape?"

She huffed and guzzled some wine before she replied, "The master was killed by another magister, and Alcander and a half dozen others fled. They all split up eventually. He never knew what happened to them." She took another drink, "He told me once that he never even thought of being anything beyond being a slave. He left because one of the others yelled 'run for your life,' and he did." She shrugged, "He ended up in Denerim a few months later, and wondered to the Pearl looking for a hot meal and a place to stay the night. He said that when he met my mother, 'the world made sense.'" She shrugged again, "He ended up staying with us, and three years later they married." Fenris nodded, and finally took a drink out of his own wine bottle.

After the elves bonded over a few drinks, swapping stories – and in Coralie's case, singing dirty ditties – and talking about nonsensical things well into the night, Fenris found that he enjoyed the elf's company. He looked forward to seeing her at the Hanged Man. She had been reduced to scrounging for coin since she had arrived in the city, and had taken it upon herself to care for the tavern's regular drunk, Alistair. She said that she felt sorry for him, and wanted to help the fallen prince despite her own desperate situation. She never asked for anything in return from the former Warden, she said, not even a kiss. Thinking to himself, Fenris decided he would speak to Hawke and see if the new Champion would consider giving the bard a place as an archer in their merry band of misfits.

…...

Three years later, and Coralie had found a comfortable place amongst Hawke's companions. She didn't regularly go out on outings with the others, however, but had quickly used her first earnings to purchase a new violin so she could continue to entertain the patrons of the Hanged Man. Varric, most recently, successfully contacted and convinced Alistair's uncle to retrieve him. And so with no one to tend to or focus her regular attention on, Coralie now spent more of her time out putting an end to criminals, thugs, and gang members alike. She went out of her way to visit her newest friends spread throughout the city, whenever she was bored or she hadn't seen them visit the Hanged Man in awhile. She would often go to Fenris' mansion where they would train and talk for several hours during lulls in the city's activity. So it was a surprise to her, on one particularly boring and uneventful day, as it had been for days in the city, that she heard muffled voices of more than one person coming from Fenris' room at his mansion. She didn't even bother knocking anymore, as the elven warrior had an open door policy with his friends, and she was comfortable coming and going from his decrepit mansion at all hours.

When she passed through the partially opened doorway, she was surprised to see Fenris seated in a chair talking to Isabela. That wasn't exactly what surprised her, however, it was that the pirate had both of her hands on either side of the chair, as she bent over the elf giving him a full view of her generous cleavage – and Fenris was blatantly taking in the view. Coralie did not know, well she knew Isabela wanted to, but did not know that Fenris was even considering taking any offers from the pirate. Maybe he wasn't pursuing the pirate, she rationalized, he was a man after all. She tried to bury the conflicting thoughts and feelings going through her mind. She was not jealous, she would never be jealous of Isabela. They were all friends, just friends. She was Fenris' friend, just like Isabela.

She apparently made some sort of noise during her internal mantra, because the pirate had turned her attention towards the doorway and cooed, "Oh, honey. Enjoying the show?"

Fenris looked towards her too, and she couldn't meet his piercing green gaze, "Uh. I was just, uh. I'll leave you two to it." Coralie promptly turned around to flee as quickly as her short stature would allow. She heard the sound of scuffing metal and leather, a muffled "oof," and the padding of footsteps behind her as she tried to fly down the stairs of Fenris' mansion. Just as she reached the bottom, she felt long, cool fingers wrap around her wrist tightly and tug to prevent her from walking further.

She was pulled to be nose-to-nose, or just about, with the former slave. She couldn't meet his eyes, and instead focused on a point beyond his shoulder. He huffed a breath that ruffled her hair, and opened his mouth twice before he could find words, "That was not... That was Isabela's doing."

"You don't need to justify yourself to me Fenris, you're a grown man with needs. You've done nothing wrong," she said with certainty.

His fingers tightened just slightly on her wrist, and she could see the muscles of his jaw clench as he ground his teeth together. "I did not invite the pirate here for... _that_," he spat, and finally she turned her gaze to meet his own.

She drew her brows together at the pained look that crossed the taller elf's face. "What then?"

He brushed the fingers of his free hand through his white hair before he said, "I've contacted my sister. And she's here. At the Hanged Man. I had asked Hawke for assistance. To go with me when I meet her."

One of her brows raised, "You think it's a trap?"

He nodded once, "I had seen the pirate on my return from the estate, and asked her the same of Hawke."

Things made more sense to her now, but Coralie had one question that burned at the forefront of her mind, "Why did you go after me then?"

He tilted his head a little, "To explain."

She pushed, "Why?" The two of them pretended not to notice when Isabela sighed dramatically and left the mansion with a clatter.

His hand tightened even further on her wrist, "I did not want you to think that I..." He swallowed roughly, "You needed to know."

"What's going on here, Fenris?"

He swallowed again as he struggled to explain, "I have never been with another. If there was someone before, I do not remember. I-I am not free so long as Danarius still lives. And I want... I cannot have what I desire until then."

Her nose scrunched further in her confusion, "You're still not making much sense."

He growled, " Venhidis! What must I say to..." He cut himself off abruptly as his expression changed dramatically. A wicked light entered his eyes, and Coralie only had a moment to appreciate his prideful smirk before he tugged on her wrist to pull her fully against his chest. He grabbed her firmly by the base of her neck, and before she could realize what the warrior intended to do, Fenris' lips were harshly claiming her own. He was wild, hot, and hard. He was moving his lips against hers like he needed the friction to live. He was not timid or reserved, but earnest in his actions. She returned his desperate kisses fully, and rested her free hand against his tunic-clad shoulder to mold her leather-encased breasts against his chest. He growled against her lips as he released her wrist to grab her hip with enough pressure to bruise, and further mold their bodies together. They pulled apart to take a quick breath, and when his lips returned to hers, he grew even more wild in his actions. His eyes were blown with desire, as he walked with determined steps to pin her against the nearby wall. She gasped when he nipped her lips harshly, and in retaliation she forced her tongue into his mouth. He growled louder when their tongues met, and pressed his hips firmly against her stomach when her fingers found their way into his hair and pulled in such a way to send sparks tingling down his spine. When they next separated for breath, instead of meeting her lips again, Fenris nipped her earlobe and spoke in a rough whisper, "This is what I desire, but I must be free."

She kissed his lyrium markings gently on his chin, "Well let's hope your sister brought Danarius with her."

…...

_Another note: I know guys, I know. But this is where I decided to end things to keep it at a T rating. Feel free to use your lovely imaginations for the rest. ;) Thank you for all the reads, reviews, etc.! :D_


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